National Leader, Action Congress of
Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has warned loyalists and aides of
President Goodluck Jonathan against taking the unity of Nigeria for
granted and setting the country on fire.
Tinubu, the former Lagos State governor,
said in Lagos on Thursday that the utterances of friends and aides of
Jonathan had the potential of putting the unity of the country in
jeopardy.
The ACN stalwart spoke as the guest of honour at the presentation of Lest I Forget: Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat, written by Amb Oladapo Fafowora. Tinubu was represented by ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Special Adviser to the President on
Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, and Leader, Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteers Force, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, were recently quoted as
threatening violence in the country if Jonathan is not reelected
President in 2015.
The seriousness of the “threat” of the
President’s men had attracted widespread condemnation, with the House of
Representatives calling for a probe while others demanded the arrest of
the duo.
Tinubu, however, believed that such
utterances, coming from Jonathan’s kinsmen, posed a serious threat to
the unity of the country if not checked.
The ex-governor said, “By not taking
it(country) for granted, we will avoid taking measures or making
comments that can threaten the country’s unity.
“Unfortunately, that has not been the
case in recent times. Self-acclaimed friends as well as aides of the
President have been making comments that are capable of putting the
unity of our country in jeopardy.
“One says if President Goodluck Jonathan
is not re-elected in 2015, the tenuous peace, now being enjoyed in the
Niger Delta, will not be guaranteed.
“Another builds on that, saying – with
all the crudity in his being – that not only will there be no peace in
the Niger Delta, there will be no peace everywhere across the country.
“Let us remember that these two are not the only ones making threatening comments ahead of the 2015 elections.”
Tinubu, who said the presence of former
Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, and other eminent Nigerians had made
the warning timely, added that other close associates of Jonathan had
taken the 2015 “threat” to a ridiculous level.
He said, “Earlier, a gregarious
presidential aide boasted that he would no longer bear his name if by
2014 the new political platform called the All Progressives Congress has
not vanished into thin air! These are pretty strong words.
“And without mincing words, these
statements must be seen for what they are: insensitive, inciting and
incendiary. One must not forget to say such threats are utterly
irresponsible and unjustifiable!
“Let us remember what Jodi Picout said,
‘Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call
them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall’.”
The former Lagos State governor noted
that elder statesmen in the country should take the appropriate steps to
curtail the increasing threat to the unity of the country before the
nation’s democracy was undermined.
Tinubu added, “It is also important for
us not to keep quiet when the dead-enders unleash these kinds of words
on us. We must not allow the ethnic militias to ruin our democracy or
untie our unity.
“It is said that evil triumphs when good
men do nothing. It is therefore incumbent on all our acknowledged good
men to speak out against these ethnic jingoists, or those that the Nobel
Laureate Wole Soyinka will call lickspittle.”
He added, “To the best of my knowledge,
President Goodluck Jonathan was elected by Nigerians of different ethnic
groups. And no one single ethnic group, whether minority or majority,
can single-handedly elect a President. No ethnic warlord or groveling
aide can single-handedly elect a President.
“There is strength in our unity. Let us
guard it jealously. Let us work hard to keep our country united. Above
all, let us not take our unity for granted.”
Tinubu described Fafowora as a committed
patriot, who “left the service not in the best of circumstances”,
noting that the book was “a rare enrichment of our essence as Nigerians,
with our collective institutional memory”.
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Tinubu why cant you be sincere, and also move a motion to arrest Buhari who said in hausa, that if he does not win, that Nigeria would be ungovernable...I used to respect you so much, but i guess you need to easy it now on politics...how come you have lost your conscience, and eat with the enemy of our nation... when you die, what legacy would you all leave behind?
ReplyDeleteBoko Haram is currently taking the unity of the entire West Africa for granted, what is Tinubu's response to that?
ReplyDelete